About DIG

Events Generate a lot of waste. DIG is an environmental services company that specializes in special events and festivals.

We save our clients time and money, keep their sites clean, improve their environmental reputation, and engage audiences through fun and unique activations.

We are a social enterprise, which means we are structured in a way that keeps us focused on our community and environmental commitments. At least 1% of all our gross revenue goes to charitable causes. But make no mistake, we are just as focused on bringing economic value to our clients and the local economy, while paying our staff a fair living wage.

We started out as long time volunteer managers for the Calgary Folk Music Festival’s multiple award-winning environment program. In 2013, after the flood hit Calgary, we launched DIG at the 35,000 person Alberta Flood Aid Concert at McMahon stadium, where we managed all the recycling and composting.

Since then, we have increased our environmental services and formed lasting partnerships with some of the biggest event organizers in Alberta including the Calgary Stampede, Beakerhead and 24 Hours of Adrenaline.

Mission

Our Mission is to reach 16 million people through waste, water and energy awareness programs and divert 100 metric tons of waste away from the landfill by 2020

Our Impact

DIG has already diverted more than 35 tons of waste from the landfill and reached 3.5 million people, many of them were repeat touches, which means we are reinforcing our message and influencing positive behaviour.

The Team

Leor Rotchild

In 2013, Leor hit the eject button on a successful oil and gas career to launch DIG and smash together his love for music festivals and the environment.

As a consultant, Leor provides strategy, consultation and communications support to PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Energy Futures Lab. He also serves on the Board of Directors for TEDxYYC and Advisory Board to the Institute for Environmental Sustainability at Mount Royal University.

In 2015, Leor and his wife Kate McKenzie traveled on a six month expedition across all 13 Canadian provinces and territories to film a documentary web series called Worldviews Project about positive news and inspiring people.

Christopher Dunlap

Chris is a retirement & benefits consultant with a national consulting firm. He was the Eco-Initiatives Co-Manager for the Calgary Folk Music Festival and has volunteered with the Canada Revenue Agency’s community income tax program, on several condominium boards and with the Calgary Co-op Member Relations Committee. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of New Brunswick, is a Registered Retirement Consultant and completed the Canadian Investment Fund Course through the Investment Funds Institute of Canada.

Bethany Topping

Zero-Waste Events Manager

Bethany joined our team in 2017. She holds an Environmental Technologist diploma from Fleming College in Ontario, excelled in her position as an Assistant Land Surveyor and is now working towards a degree in Biology from St. Mary’s University, Calgary. Her passion began as a love for nature and the environment and has blossomed into a career with DIG as an educator and promoter of acceptable waste disposal practices. She worked with DIG in the summer of 2017 at various events including Turner Valley Discovery Days, the Canada Day 150 event in Banff and VegFest Calgary, and her efforts have led to a high success rate in the diversion of recyclable and compostable materials for these events. Bethany looks forward to making the next events with DIG more ecologically friendly in the zero-waste initiative so that we can all be proud that we Do It Green here in Calgary!